Breaking Free
by lunarshores
Summary: Sabo's parents try to force him into an arranged marriage and Ace helps him get out of it. Modern AU


**This is for lollesblog (Smally) who requested AceSabo. It was supposed to be a drabble. I don't really know what happened, since I really had no idea what to write for a Pretend couple! AU... Hope you like it anyway!**

Sabo burst into the apartment Ace and Luffy shared, fuming.

"I can't believe they- How could they just...? Argh! I mean, really. Why-" Ace ignored Sabo's unintelligible rant, knowing his brother would soon calm himself down enough to actually explain what his crazy parents had done this time. They'd known each other for most of their lives, and at least once a month Sabo got so frustrated with his elitist parents he worked himself into a rage like this and had to let off some steam.

Ace studied Sabo as he moved onto the mumbling stage of his temper tantrum. He seemed unusually upset this time, so Ace got up to go make tea, leaving the still-muttering man on the couch. Tea was good for situations like this, right? Ace grimaced. He wished Luffy were home, instead of out with his friends. The idiot might not be able to make tea, but he could instantly cheer up Sabo without even trying. Ace sighed. Luffy was so much better at these sorts of things.

By the time Ace brought the tea back to the living room (and snacks because what good was tea without snacks?), Sabo had apparently run out of steam and was now flopped face down on the couch, unmoving. He didn't even stir as Ace tried to ease down the overly full tray and succeeded only in spilling the cookies all over the table. He piled the cookies back on the plate, since Sabo clearly wasn't in the mood to fuss over niceties, and glared down at the tea. What good was it, if Sabo wouldn't even sit up and notice it?

Ace cleared his throat pointedly, but received only the barest twitch in acknowledgement. He huffed in annoyance.

"Sit up, drink the damn tea and feel better already!" Sabo chuckled weakly and sat up with a groan. At Ace's glare, he laughed for real and picked up his tea cup, sipping slowly. He did seem better. Maybe the tea thing really worked.

"What happened this time?" Instantly, Sabo's face fell once more. Ace hurriedly poured him more tea, before examining his brother once again. The tea must really work because he looked almost amused despite his generally depressed air.

Sabo sighed and set the tea cup down.

"They want me to get married." Ace spit out his own tea.

"But you're only 18!" Sabo grimaced.

"It's to a girl whose family runs our business's biggest competitor. It has nothing to do with me or her. She's almost seven years older than us, I think. I've never met her."

"What are you going to do?" Ace asked, setting down his tea cup in favor of a cookie, which at least wouldn't get him wet if he was in for more surprises. He glared down at the tea accusingly.

"I told them there was no way I could do that, and they ignored my reasons like always. 'Why can't you be more like Stelly, Sabo.' and 'Think of the good of the family!'" Sabo mimicked his parents in a grating tone. He sighed and took another sip of tea. The silence stretched as Ace hurriedly poured more tea, though Sabo's cup was not even half empty.

Sabo sighed.

"So I panicked and told them I was already in love with someone. They said they'd judge their suitability at a dinner party tonight. And if I made it up, I'd have to agree to the match." Ace blinked at him.

"So who are you going to bring? They'll reject anyone you bring anyway."

"But at least I won't have to agree to get married tonight! The short term is what concerns me right now."

"You should just move out. You turned 18 last month. You've always talked about wanting to be free."

"Well, we're not all you! Moving out on your 18th birthday and getting partial custody of your little brother just after is not normal! It isn't easy." He glared at Ace. "I'm never going to be able to afford college without them."

"Okay, I'm sorry. But we could figure it out. You're really smart; I bet you could get a scholarship. You really should consider it." Ace held up his hands, trying to placate Sabo. He looked at Sabo's still full cup of tea.

"Do you want some more tea?" Sabo blinked at him, then burst out laughing hysterically. By the time he finally calmed himself down, Ace was pouting.

"Sorry, sorry." He wiped a tear from his eye. "I know I told you tea was good when comforting people, but there are limits to its effectiveness, you know." Sabo smiled at him. "And sorry for that outburst. I know you're just trying to help. I really admire what you do to make sure you're independent of Garp. Even if your job is not exactly legal." Ace grinned at that, unrepentant.

"Don't worry about it." Ace brushed off his apology. "For now though, you need to find a date. It doesn't really matter who if it is just for the short term. You can figure out how to talk to your parents later." Ace was sure nothing would change unless Sabo left that horrible household, but there was nothing he could do until his sworn brother was ready.

"Yeah, but it's not like I know many people outside of their set besides you and Luffy... So who..." He stared down at the table, tapping his fingers against the polished wood. All of the sudden he looked back up at Ace consideringly. For some reason Ace was suddenly nervous.

"It won't matter, right? I'm already in trouble. Just something to delay them." Sabo muttered to himself. Ace was definitely not liking where this was going. Perhaps he should-

"Do you have a suit?"

oOo

The only reason Ace had agreed to put up with such a stupid plan was because he had been hoping Sabo's parents would just disown him on the spot for bringing home a man to their ridiculous dinner party. Unfortunately, they seemed to think it was a grand joke and were treating Sabo like a little kid throwing a temper tantrum. They mostly ignored Ace but made constant disparaging remarks about him like he wasn't in the room. The girl Sabo was supposed to marry and her parents were there as well, seemingly taking equal amusement in Sabo's "little act of rebellion".

Strangely, it was Sabo who snapped first. Ace really couldn't care less what these pretentious jerks thought of him.

"Would you just stop? Is this really how you're going to treat someone I love?" His fingers clutched at the perfectly white linen tablecloth. Ace had never seen him so upset.

"Darling, we know you just brought him as a last measure resort. Even _you_ have better taste than to fall in love with worthless street trash like that. And a man no less. You must have been desperate indeed not to be able to find a passable girl at least." His mother paused, and wrinkled her brow as if thinking.

"Not that we'd let you get out of marrying this girl, even if you had. It's your duty as a member of the family. You've never been useful otherwise. So, no one at this table fooled by your pathetic attempt to get out of this wedding. It was a cute gesture though." She laughed and the rest of the party joined in.

What happened next took Ace completely by surprise. Sabo stood up abruptly and kissed Ace full on the mouth in front of everyone. While Ace was still gaping at him, he turned to face the rest of the table, all of whom were in various states of shock. Finally, someone broke the silence.

"We're going to have to reevaluate this marriage. I'm not certain you have as much control over him as you said, Outlook." The man who reminded Ace of a walrus and seemed to be Sabo's would-be future in-law, stood up and ushered his wife and daughter out of the room. "This is nothing the ladies should see. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Sabo, you're taking your little joke too far!" His father was almost purple with rage. "You'll be lucky if I let you go to college after this!" Ace stood up to give him a piece of his mind, but Sabo beat him to it, once again.

"Ace is a good man. He is not worthless trash. In fact, he is worth far more than any of you. I brought him here tonight to see if any of you really cared about me at all. I see now you do not. I should have listened to Ace long ago." Sabo took a deep breath and squeezed Ace's shoulder for support. "I'm leaving tonight. Don't look for me; don't try to contact me; in fact, never let me see any of your faces again. You're pathetic excuses for human beings, and I wish I'd found the courage to do this months ago." Though his tone was calm and even, he seemed frozen, unable to move towards the door.

Sabo's father shattered the silence that followed Sabo's declaration."You'd better leave, you ungrateful whelp!" As Sabo's father recovered from the shock he stood up, shaking with rage. Ace pulled the now mostly unresponsive Sabo to the door, ignoring the vicious insults spewed at them and dodging the cutlery his mother started throwing. Stelly's creepy vacant smile was the worst. Once they made it safely down the street, Ace stopped on a corner.

Sabo pulled himself together with visible effort. "Sorry about that." He chuckled weakly.

Ace shrugged and clapped him on the back. "Don't worry about it. You have no control over them. Their nastiness is not your fault. Besides, I've been hoping you'd stand up to them soon, though maybe not so spectacularly." Ace grinned.

"I meant for kissing you, idiot."

"Oh, yeah, that." An awkward silence fell between them, as neither of them made eye contact. "How about we go with that never happened? I mean it served its purpose and all, but..." Ace asked.

"Agreed." They both shuddered in unison.

"Well, what now?" Sabo enormity of what he'd just done must have hit him as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He looked so lost. Ace grinned at him, trying to be reassuring.

"First, we go back home." Ace noticed that Sabo relaxed a bit at that. "Luffy should be back by now, and I'm still starving. What is it with rich people and tiny portions? We'll grab him and go out to celebrate your new-found independence. He's going to be so excited." Sabo grinned momentarily.

"About me moving in or the all-you-can-eat buffet we'll surely go to?"

Ace laughed. "Both?"

Sabo chuckled, but a shadow still lingered over his expression.

Ace nudged him with his shoulder as they resumed walking down the street towards home. "Don't worry so much. The rest can wait until tomorrow. For now, you're free, and that's all that matters."

Sabo's grin was all the answer he needed as they raced home to go tell Luffy the good news.


End file.
